DEMONSTRATION

Applications for Wireless Pocket PCs in Medical Education

Anand Ganger, Campus Mobility, Ann Arbor, Michigan and Laura Thomas and Matt Jackson, Wayne State School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA

ABSTRACT:

Wayne State Medical School in Detroit and CampusMobility© of Ann Arbor, Michigan have partnered to bring about significant changes in undergraduate medical education. Wireless handheld computers (Pocket PCs) have been introduced into the preclinical curriculum at the Medical School for the purposes of delivering course content, interactive teaching, testing, real-time course evaluation, scheduling, and faculty-student communication. In addition to these features, third and fourth year medical students at Wayne State will use the technology to track patient encounters and access educational content that is pertinent to their clinical clerkships

A successful pilot project that provided Toshiba model e570 Pocket PC's network interface cards, and application software to 20 second year medical students in 2002 has been expanded to the entire school. CampusMobility© developed a platform for the Medical School faculty to build interactive teaching modules and computer-based exams. A wireless infrastructure was established in the large lecture hall and small group teaching labs to facilitate this initiative. Interactivity was introduced into the lecture presentations using an audience response system. Students used the wireless Pocket PCs to access and respond to pertinent questions in real time through a web portal established by CampusMobility©. This system permits the lecturer to more effectively engage the class in the learning process. The faculty to construct and administer wireless exams, surveys, and course evaluations also uses this platform. During the wireless exam sessions, CampusMobility© provides on-site support and monitoring of the unique security applications developed for this project.

Students entering our wireless testing environment require server-based authentication to access the exam materials. The exams are made accessible via the server only during the testing period. Once a student logs in to access the exam, their Pocket PC is locked out of other applications that are stored on the device. The lockdown protocol does not permit them to retrieve content via the web or e-mail. As an additional layer of security, we use proctoring console software that establishes a host-client relationship between student devices and the exam proctors PC. An electronic monitoring system is established whereby exam proctors view thumbnail images of the individual Pocket PCs from a laptop computer located in the front of the lecture hall. The proctoring console software also provides a power meter for each device being monitored, alerting exam administrators that a supplemental battery pack may be needed by some test-takers.

Third and fourth year medical students are required to fulfill specific clinical experience objectives during their clerkships. Tracking student participation in the clinical rotations has become an administrative burden for the clinical departments. Wayne State Medical School is in the process of implementing patient encounter applications developed by CampusMobility© that will ease this burden. Students will log patient encounters using Pocket PCs; the data is transmitted to a central server for administrative processing. Clinical content will be linked to the patient encounter databases permitting students to access discipline-specific content at the bedside including diagnostic algorithms, treatments, and links to consultation options. Our ultimate goal is to use the wireless handheld devices for the establishment of a learning community comprising students, physicians, and faculty.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

Session participants will have the opportunity to experience a hands-on demonstration of wireless Pocket PCs in the undergraduate medical curriculum. CampusMobility© will establish a wireless environment in the presentation area prior to the demonstration. Pocket PCs will be distributed to the audience so that they may participate in applications developed specifically for medical education. Examples of subject content and patient tracking applications developed for Pocket PCs will be provided. Session attendees will participate in wireless interactive teaching and assessment modules.

Matt Jackson

Wayne State Medical School

Room 7374 Scott Hall

540 E. Canfield Ave.

Detroit MI 48201

Phone: 313-577-1299

Fax: 313-577-1155

Email: mpjacks@med.wayne.edu

Website: http://www.med.wayne.edu/immunology/department/jackson.html

CO-AUTHORS:

Anand C. Ganger, CEO

CampusMobility